In the realm of television and film, the title character often embodies heroism, guiding viewers to perceive them as the story’s protagonist. However, Agatha All Along masterfully subverts this expectation, particularly in its finale, by unequivocally establishing Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) as a villain. Despite glimpses of compassion, her actions firmly place her on the antagonist spectrum. This realization naturally leads to a compelling question for those captivated by her character: why does Agatha kill witches?
Spoilers ahead for Agatha All Along. Episode 9, titled “Maiden, Mother, Crone,” offers a crucial flashback to 1750, revealing a pregnant Agatha in a secluded forest, about to give birth. She delivers Nicholas Scratch, who was initially believed to be stillborn. In a desperate act, Agatha strikes a bargain with Rio Vidal, known as Death (Aubrey Plaza), for more time – a pivotal moment to remember.
The narrative then shifts to Agatha cradling young Nicholas as they traverse through the woods. They encounter a coven enclosed within a protective circle. Appealing to their empathy, Agatha claims she and her child have been starving for days. The coven, in a display of misplaced kindness, welcomes them into their sanctuary. This act of charity is met with betrayal as Agatha, exploiting their trust, unleashes her siphoning abilities, draining the coven members of their power, leaving them lifeless.
Subsequent scenes depict a montage spanning years, showing Agatha and Nicholas wandering and developing the haunting melody of “Ballad of the Witches’ Road.” This period is marked by Agatha’s calculated cons, designed to ensnare and steal power from various unsuspecting covens. When questioned about her lethal actions, Agatha justifies her witch killings as a means of survival. Yet, deeper layers of motivation lurk beneath this surface explanation.
Agatha Kills Witches For Power: A Dark Thirst
The most straightforward answer to “Why Did Agatha Kill Witches?” is her insatiable hunger for power. Agatha Harkness is, fundamentally, a villain. Her actions are those of a mass murderer targeting witches. The show reveals a chilling pattern: following Nicholas Scratch’s demise, Agatha perpetuates the same deceitful scheme for centuries. She lures covens with the promise of the Witches’ Road, only to unleash her fury when it doesn’t materialize as expected, seizing their power and leaving behind desolate remains. This was her intended plan for the coven in Agatha All Along as well, were it not for Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke), who genuinely manifested the Witches’ Road through his magic.
Agatha’s motivation is power acquisition. She confesses to Nicholas, in response to his plea for food, her limitations: she cannot heal or shield him from Death using her current abilities. Her magic is destructive; she can blast and manipulate objects but lacks the power to create, except for Nicholas. The implication is clear: Agatha’s power is finite and depletable. To sustain her strength and youth over centuries, she must constantly replenish her magical reserves by stealing power from other witches. This grim necessity fuels her relentless witch killings.
However, this explanation, while accurate, is not the complete picture. There are more nuanced, albeit equally dark, reasons behind her actions.
Agatha Kills Witches To Protect Nicholas Scratch: A Mother’s Twisted Devotion
It’s undeniable that Agatha derives pleasure from murdering witches; remorse is absent from her demeanor. Yet, a significant underlying motive is her desperate desire to prolong her time with Nicholas. Given that Nicholas was initially destined to be stillborn, Agatha’s pact with Death and subsequent actions suggest a profound, if twisted, maternal drive to remain alive and powerful enough to shield Nicholas from Death’s grasp.
Ultimately, she fails in this endeavor. Nicholas, seemingly influencing a shift in her morality, perhaps convincing her to cease her witch killings, is claimed by Rio/Death while they sleep. He departs after a tender farewell to his mother, leaving Agatha to awaken beside his lifeless body.
Following Nicholas’s death, Agatha’s witch killings likely transition into acts fueled by revenge, ingrained habit, and a profound sense of loss. Without Nicholas, her moral compass, murdering witches becomes her sole defining act, a grim routine carried out for centuries.
Agatha might even rationalize her actions through a “kill or be killed” mentality. In Episode 6, she tells Billy, “You survived, like witches have been doing for centuries… That’s what kept you alive. That’s what makes you special. That’s what makes you a witch.” While laced with irony, considering Agatha is a primary witch killer, her words reflect her own survival-driven ethos. Survival, in its most brutal form, becomes her only guiding principle.
This survival instinct also illuminates her surrender to Rio in Episode 8. Billy, in a poignant moment, reminds her of Nicholas. Agatha realizes her relentless existence has been driven by inertia. She sees an opportunity to save Billy from Death, a chance she missed with Nicholas. In choosing to save Billy, she seemingly embraces her own demise, albeit temporarily, as she transitions into Ghost Agatha. A redemption arc? Not quite.
Agatha Kills Witches Because She Likes It: The Dark Truth
Ultimately, while power and protection of Nicholas serve as surface-level justifications, the core reason why Agatha kills witches is far more unsettling: she enjoys it. Nicholas might be a convenient excuse, particularly in her early witch-killing years, but her actions reveal a deep-seated pleasure in manipulation and murder. There is an emotional connection to Nicholas Scratch – initially to save him, then perhaps to “avenge” him – but fundamentally, Agatha revels in the act of killing, taunting, and controlling others.
Even in her apparent act of sacrifice to save Billy, Agatha’s inherent nature doesn’t entirely vanish. She clings to existence, transitioning to a ghostly form. The implication is clear: whenever Wiccan and Agatha reappear, mischief, if not outright villainy, will likely follow.
Agatha Harkness remains a witch-killer, a murderer, and a villain. And paradoxically, this dark complexity is precisely why audiences are so captivated by her. Sorry, witches.
Where to watch Agatha All Along:
[Link to watch Agatha All Along – to be added]
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